MHS runner-up at Centre tourney

Marion’s Sam Richmond (foreground) passes to set up Kourtney Hansen (14) or Alli Molleker (23) during the Warriors’ match with Life Prep of Wichita at the Centre Invitational on Saturday. Marion won this match and went on to place second in the tournament with a 4-1 record.The Marion volleyball team finished second at the Centre Invitational Saturday with a 4-1 record.

“I was really happy for how they played through the day,” coach Brea Campbell said. “Obviously, we didn’t win the championship, but they fought really hard.”

The Warriors swept their three pool play matches in two sets each, defeating Wichita Life Prep Academy, 25-3, 25-2; Herington, 25-12, 25-14; and Little River, 25-15, 25-16.

As winners of Pool B, the Warriors faced Centre in the semifinals. The Cougars were Pool A runners-up with a 2-1 record. Marion won in two sets, 25-11, 25-13.

The win pitted the Warriors against Rural Vista in the championship. Both teams entered the finals undefeated.

The championship match went to three sets, with Marion battling back to win Set 2, 27-25, after losing Set 1, 25-19. The Heat, however, clinched the victory by winning Set 3, 25-16.

“(Rural Vista) had some big hitters,” Campbell said. “We knew going in who we needed to block, but obviously, they’re going to get their hits off just like we do. They were really scrappy. They didn’t let a lot hit the floor ever.”

Despite good effort in the finals, Campbell said, things didn’t quite fall into place for the Warriors.

“(Set) 1, our serves weren’t going over,” she said. “(We) couldn’t really get a good pass. It wasn’t that we weren’t scrappy, it was just things weren’t coming together. (Set) 2, they had the fight in their eyes like they were going to win it. (Set) 3 didn’t go our way, but that’s okay. That’s how that happens sometimes.”

Campbell said the weekend was a step in the right direction after the team suffered a pair of league losses at Sedgwick earlier in the week.

“I’m pretty proud of them,” she said. “They had a tough time on Tuesday. We ran into a couple struggles. We were nervous about whether we could come out of them or not, and they did. They came out Saturday ready to play.”

Sedgwick—Marion opened Heart of America league play Tuesday with two losses. Marion lost to host Sedgwick, 25-12, 28-26, and concluded the outing with a loss to Hutchinson Trinity, 25-18, 25-17.

“They are pretty good teams, but I also don’t think that we played to our caliber,” coach Brea Campbell said. “Our team struggles with making sure we have energy on the court all the time, and sometimes you’ve got to fake that energy until it becomes real, and we just didn’t do our part in that.”

Coming—Marion (9-3 overall and 0-2 in HOA play) was scheduled to compete at Berean Academy Tuesday and will host the Spikefest tournament Saturday.

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